Tips to make quarantine enjoyable

We returned to Hungary from Mexico after four months. We had a “fresh” negative PCR report with us but Hungary has a rule that they won’t accept any PCR negative reports, except it is from the EU, USA and CANADA. We took the test because Air France was not clear about whether they need it or not. In their e-mails and website they said, transiting passengers do not need one, “check the destination country for test requirements” ( Hungary does not require to have a test if you spend the mandatory 10 days quarantine). Just in case, I called their call center and they said, without a negative test we cannot even on board in Mexico! So 32 hours before departure, we got into the closest and available test centre and we got the test result less than 24 hours, sooner than they promised. For your information, the tests were not required anywhere at our departure in Cancun nor in Paris, neither in Budapest. Upon our arrival in Hungary, we got a document from a police officer that stated when our quarantine ends and how to install a Home Quarantine application on our phone. First, we did not want this application on our phone but as it is mandatory, we decided to obey the rules. We found the application very efficient, once a day at a random time it sent a text message to take a selfie within 15 minutes.

As concerts are postponed, sporting events are cancelled, schools are closed, tourist hot spots are shut down and people are stuck inside due to this global pandemic, it can be challenging to deal with this situation. We got used to the freedom that is now taken away. You can make your quarantine time as interesting – and perhaps even as productive – as possible with some of these tips in your life. Hope these mindful ideas will give you some hope and this time spent at home will be a good experience.

• We love our recently refurbished flat so much, we did not want the quarantine to end. The place you lock yourself in is a part of the success, so if you can choose, make a good decision where you stay. We both had a need for comfort, style and quality; I think we managed to tick all these requirements in our hidden “base”, where we returned after a long trip.

• We often stress ourselves with daily shopping needs like “I need to pop out to buy bread” and you end up shopping 10 more things you do not even need but it was in a deal. A sudden desire to go out to have a walk in the sunshine or just to have quick trip to the closest ice-cream shop. These kind of thoughts are not existing in a quarantine, somehow your mind accept the fact you cannot go out. This is also a good way to save money (unless you get bored and start making online orders). Just relax and enjoy peace of mind that you do not need to go anywhere.
• This is the time when you truly have 16 hours to spend on activities you love indoors. This can be a perfect time for reading, knitting and crocheting, drawing, listening to music, writing letters, poetry or short stories, starting your blog or a new journal, studying a language or a new skill, cooking and baking etc. Finally, you can try that artistic skill that you always wanted to bring out but did not have time for! Prepare mentally a few days before your quarantine how you would like to spend these days and when you are there, make these plans true. A good idea to make shopping in advance if your hobby needs something.
• Have a daily routine. Write down a daily routine you want to follow every day, so these will keep you fit and motivated. Do not leave space for much laziness. Make use of the time. You want to look back to these 10-14 days that you made epic things and you were productive and active.

• We subscribed to Netflix but for 10 days we watched it twice, only for 1-1 hour. We had so much fun with crafting, working on things we are passionate about that we did not have any desire to sit down on the sofa and watch anything on the TV. The key, don`t let yourself watching Netflix/Amazon Prime for longer than an hour daily.
• Don`t watch the News! News became recently a horror story. If you want to stay healthy mentally, don`t poison your mind with stuff often 95% not even affecting your life.
• Eat healthy (loads of fruits and veg daily) and drink plenty of water (2.5 – 3L).
• Personal hygiene is important, even when you are not meeting people. I noticed, it’s easy to become lazy and just to be in your underwear + shirt all day long and just not brush teeth in the morning or have a shower…”why? I did not do anything, just sitting?” – my mind justified it. But seriously, this affected my performance. I felt much better working freshly showered and in normal clothes. This can boost your mood.
• I joined some online PenPal groups and started the traditional way of writing letters, like before the age of mobile phones and the Internet. This activity is super cool that I will even dedicate a full post to this topic! (if you want to become my pen pal, just contact me under the Contact menu). I Spent 1-2 hours in the evening writing letters to my new friends with relaxing background music and a cup of tea.
• Complete a puzzle: The more pieces the better! Feeling extra saucy? Take on a Rubik’s cube or a crossword puzzle to solve.
• Get green-fingered. If you’re lucky enough to have a garden or even just a balcony, take advantage of the soothing properties of gardening. If you plant herbs, you’ll even have a ready-made garnish for all those lovely meals you’ll be making (or your bowl of cheesy pasta).
• Face masks, moisturizer, Oh my! Treat yourself to a 10- step skincare routine you don’t have time for during a normal workweek.
• Meditate: Try lying down with your eyes closed, palms up while focusing on your breath or spend 20 minutes sitting crosslegged and repeat a soothing word to yourself in your head (try out home Meditation or Yoga videos on Youtube).
• Mobile Applications I would recommend for you: DailyYoga (for daily stretching after a lot of sitting), Home Workout (jail-type workout at home, only 15 minutes daily and really makes a difference!), DuoLingo (learn a new language in a funny way), Google Calendar (put reminders when you want to do what), Google Keep (make a note of all your thoughts)
• Limit the use of Social Media. I uninstalled Facebook app from my phone and logged in daily from my desktop, only to check the most important notifications (new friend requests, comments under my photos, posts etc.) When you feel you want to start scrolling the News Feed, then it’s the time to Log out!
• We listened to A LOT music on Youtube. One of our favorite was DG Music with happy music and amazing holiday videos those will cheer you up even in a rainy day.

Please comment below on what personally helped you to get through the quarantine. I hope my tips will help you to feel better. Thank you for reading this post. Stay happy, healthy and blessed.

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